From the viewpoint of electronization and safety for motor vehicles, a capacitor integrated with connectors, i.e. capacitor integrating connectors, such that a lead wire is kept out of sight is now in increasing demand. The capacitor integrating connectors has been principally used for prevention of noises generated in a motor vehicle.
The conventional capacitor integrating connectors, hereinafter "integrated capacitor," shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 is described hereinafter. As shown in FIG. 9, two connectors 3 extending downwardly from the integrated capacitor pass through terminal board 2, while two capacitor connecting sections 7 remain on the upper surface of terminal board 2. First lead wire 6 from capacitor element 5 is soldered to first capacitor connecting section 7. Mounting plate 4 made of metal is placed in proximity to capacitor element 5. The second lead wire 6 is soldered to the mounting plate 4. The terminal board 2 having capacitor element 5 and mounting plate 4 shown in FIG. 9 is housed in case 1 as shown in FIG. 10. Then, resin 8 is poured into an opening at the top of case 1 and is cured, so that the integrated capacitor is produced.
Connectors 3 of the integrated capacitor thus produced are connected to a circuit in a motor vehicle or car, and mounting plate 4 is fixed to the car body with bolts or the like to form an electric circuit. The integrated capacitor is generally mounted in the car after examining whether or not noises are generated. Therefore, the integrated capacitor is mounted at a later step in the process of car assembly. Since the integrated capacitor is mounted to the car after the car is almost completely assembled, mounting plate 4 has a complex shape because of limits on a mounting position. To increase noise preventive effects, the integrated capacitor is electrically coupled to the car body. In this case, as the integrated capacitor is also mounted at a later step in the process of car assembly, mounting plate 4 has a complex shape. Therefore, putting terminal board 2 carrying mounting plate 4 into case 1 takes time and substantial labor. Further, first capacitor connecting section 7 must be soldered to first lead wire 6, and mounting plate 4 must be soldered with second lead wire 6. Therefore, the integrated capacitor has a poor-workability problem when being assembled. Further, in recent years, according to environmental issues, removing lead contained in solder, that is, lead-free connection, is required. However, as described above, when assembling the integrated capacitor, soldering is inevitable because of the complex formation. Requirement on lead-free connection thus could not be addressed. Use of lead-free solder is one of various methods to achieve the lead-free connection, but lead-free solder capable of adapting to any environmental problem with high reliability is not yet available.